<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Plumeria by MerakiForest</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778354">Plumeria</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerakiForest/pseuds/MerakiForest'>MerakiForest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Hawaii, Interns &amp; Internships, Meet-Cute, Surfing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:47:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,514</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerakiForest/pseuds/MerakiForest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thrilled to be in beautiful Hawaii on an internship, Poppy is determined to get as much adventuring in as possible without the trouble of boy drama. A chance meeting with Tora thanks to a cat and a broken branch might just change her mind.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tora/Poppy Wilkes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Plumeria</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A Hawaiian vacation had been a dream for Poppy all through her teenage years and even if it had taken an internship to get there she was thrilled. It didn't matter that the hours were long and the pay excruciatingly low...she was here in the land of sun, sea, and sand! Even better were the pineapple plantations, the rain forests, and banana trees. Swallowing a deep breath of moist salty air, Poppy took a moment to admire the slopes of the green mountainside all around her. None of her fellow interns wanted to come on the hike today, instead opting for a lazy day at the beach but she didn't mind. She didn't mind adventuring by herself. </p><p>Glancing back down at her map, Poppy tried to decide which path she would take today. There were so many things she wanted to see and experience for the couple of months that she had here and she was scared that she wouldn't get the chance to check out these trails later. After the internship concluded she would be back to the small college town of Crowder, Missouri where it was still humid but with no beach in sight. And no coconut trees. </p><p>The sound of a cat meowing had her looking up at the tree that was along the edge of the trail, and Poppy blinked in surprise to see a grayish-white cat sitting up there calmly. Its golden eyes were almost glowing in the afternoon sunlight and she wondered if there was a house nearby that it belonged to. No sooner had that thought passed through her mind then she caught sight of the ragged joint of the tree that was already shuddering under the weight of the small cat. If a strong breeze blew past the branch could break!</p><p>Biting her lip, Poppy immediately tucked the map into her back pocket and began climbing the trunk in the hope that she could get close enough to grab the cat and bring it down to safety before the branch broke. </p><p>"Hang in there, kitty. I'm coming to get you." After a few attempts to get off the ground, she finally made it up to the the first branch and was already panting from the effort. "Ooookay, this is not as easy as I remembered," she muttered to the cat. </p><p>It stared at her and gave an unconcerned meow. Poppy just gritted her teeth and continued the climb. That branch wavered a bit and she tried to remember not to hold her breath. The branch she was aiming for wasn't terribly high up, but it was still over 8 feet up and she didn't want to risk the cat falling from that height. The bark scratched at her jeans and through her thin t-shirt and she winced at what would undoubtedly be marks on her abdomen but Poppy was determined to get this cat down safely. </p><p>Both hands shook as she forced her body up the next branch and she tried to make some comforting coos to the cat that continued to stare at her blankly. Maybe he was stuck on that branch all alone because he wasn't very friendly? Determined not to let the cat's lack of affection deter her from the rescue mission. She reached a hand out and found that she was still too far from it. With another heave, Poppy scooted herself further up her branch and reached out again. When that didn't get her a proper grip on the cat she decided that she was going to need to probably crouch on the branch she was straddling. It was the only thing she could do short of climbing on the breaking branch and she was sure that her curvy figure wouldn't be supported by that flimsy branch.</p><p>"Okay, you can do this," Poppy whispered to herself as she adjusted her grip and pulled her legs up to steady them on the branch. </p><p>Another few adjustments and she began to stand shakily. One hand lightly rested on the breaking branch and she used her other to grab at the cat. Like the devil it was, the cat swiped at her with its sharp claws and she yelped before snatching it by its scruff. Those sharp claws scratched the dickens out of her arms and hands, but she kept a steady grip and hoped that the beast's teeth wouldn't get involved with this mess. Jerking the cat down to her branch, Poppy prepared to try to figure out a way to one-handed climb down the tree before a loud cracking sound got her attention. </p><p>Large browns eyes looked over in shock to see that the branch she had chosen as her perch was also precariously wobbling and bending. Panic set into her brain but she just froze in place and watched as the joint of the branch finally gave way. Both she and the cat went tumbling down and Poppy felt herself spinning and falling. Her eyes being closed didn't help much, but after a few seconds she was able to breath again. She was shocked not to feel too badly upon impact with the ground and slowly opened her eyes to get her bearings.</p><p>"W-wha-?"</p><p>"Ya can get off now," a husky voice informed her and Poppy's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. </p><p>"I'm so sorry!" she gasped as she awkwardly scrambled back and fell right on her butt. "Did I hurt you?!"</p><p>Her eyes were fixated on the young man that had magically appeared beneath her and BOY OH BOY was he a sight. Of course it had to be some sexy beast she fell out of a tree on top of!!! The poor guy was probably just walking along the path minding his own business before he nearly had his neck broken by her rather sizable backside falling on him. Poppy was so embarrassed that she barely noticed the annoyed cat skulking away.</p><p>"You're the one who fell outta a tree," the man deadpanned. "Are ya hurt?"</p><p>"I-I'm feeling a bit dizzy," she admitted as she tried not to stare too much at those muscular and tattooed arms and perfectly cut collarbones exposed by the collar of his grey t-shirt. The amount of leg exposed by his board shorts was enough to inform her that this guy was fit from head to toe. How were real people even like that?!</p><p>He hopped to his feet easily and pulled her up for a quick inspection. Poppy blushed as he moved her arms around and took her face in his hands to stare directly into her eyes. It was impossible not to notice that this man was probably over half a foot taller than her and that one of his large palms was probably the size of her entire face. He was HUGE and yet his hands were nimble and gentle with her.</p><p>"Doesn't look like ya broke anything," he finished. "No concussion either, but let's get ya back into town and off this trail just to be safe. Do ya have a car?" He was already pushing her down the path towards the trail head.</p><p>"Er, no, I-"</p><p>"Fine, you're riding with me."</p><p>"Wait, I-"</p><p>"Don't worry, my brother'll be there too. That princess is sitting in the A/C right now."</p><p>"That's not what-"</p><p>He paused in front of her and placed his hands on his hips in annoyance, some inky hair falling loose from his messy half-bun. "What? Ya rather die on the mountainside where no one notices or cares?"</p><p>Poppy just blinked a few times at this strange man. "I'm sorry to be a bother. I just didn't want you being put out any because of me."</p><p>His left eye twitched a little. "You're the one who fell outta the tree! And you're out here by yourself!"</p><p>"Well...so are you," she pointed out.</p><p>"Yeah, but I know not to go chasing cats up the trees!" he shot back in...was that worry? "Ya coulda broken your neck doin' that!"</p><p>A man of his size shouting at her in the middle of the forested wilderness should have probably been scary, but as Poppy stared at him all she could do was smile softly. His cheeks were flushed and even though his voice was harsh she could clearly see the worry and concern in his golden eyes. </p><p>"Thank you," she replied quietly. "I thought that maybe I fell on you on accident but now I think that maybe you caught me on purpose. You saved my neck and probably my tailbone too." </p><p>The blush that spread across his cheeks and down his neck was probably the most adorable thing she had ever seen and Poppy couldn't help the small giggle.</p><p>"Don't laugh at me," he grumbled as he glanced off to the side, lips struggling to decide if they should smile or remain in a frown. </p><p>"Ah, I'm not laughing at you," she continued to giggle. And she would die before admitting to this stranger that she thought he was cute. "And my name is Poppylan. It's kind of a weird name so you can just call me Poppy. That way we're not strangers anymore!"</p><p>He brushed some of his damp hair back over his shoulder and she could see that the tattoos all up his arms were as intricate as she had assumed. She even thought that he wore his ring and leather strip bracelets with the casual elegance that seemed to permeate the Hawaiian islands.</p><p>"My name's Tora," he muttered before finally training his lips back into a lofty frown. "C'mon, let's head back down to my car. I can at least take care of ya knee."</p><p>Looking down to see the tear in her jeans and the blood seeping through, she nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Tora."</p><p>He grabbed her hand and a little more gently pulled her along down the trail. </p><p>-----</p><p>"Soooo?!" </p><p>Poppy blushed a little more deeply as she took a long drink from her hacked open coconut.</p><p>"There's nothing else to really say, Erdene," Poppy mumbled.</p><p>"You're telling me that <em>nothing </em>happened with that hunky man after you got to his car?!"</p><p>Poppy literally could not blush any deeper as her friend and fellow intern grilled her about the events from earlier in the day. </p><p>"Erdene! We just met! And his brother was in the car already, just like he said."</p><p>The tall and fashionable woman next to her sighed dramatically and took a sip from her smoothie. "I can't believe you, Poppy. We're only here for a short while and you're not trying to live it up or anything. Random stranger saving me from falling out of a tree? I'd be all over that. Please tell me that you at least got his phone number!"</p><p>The shorter girl just focused on drinking the rest of her coconut water to the chagrin of her best friend. She didn't want to admit that he had insisted on her taking his number so that she could text  him when she arrived home safely. Which she had done and then promptly deleted his number so that she wouldn't be tempted to do anything so foolish as text him some more. She wouldn't have a lot of free time outside of the internship work and no-strings-attached hook ups were not her thing. Not that he would be interested in her or anything.</p><p>Her shoulders slumped a bit and she tried not to dwell on that line of thought too much. Her mother's side of the family had many full-figured women who were proud of their bodies and she tried to be too but sometimes it felt like a losing battle. Especially on an island and in an internship full of confident, skinny, and beautiful people! It didn't help that Jacob, another intern, was constantly teasing her about her weight. Ugh, she literally crushed that cute guy when they met. There was no way that he would be interested in her. Short, plump, brown-haired and brown-eyed, nothing exotic...</p><p>"Oooooh, Poppy!" Erdene squealed. "Look at those surfers!!!"</p><p>"Erdene," she sighed, "if you're just here to pick up boys then I'm just going to head back to the rooms."</p><p>"Hey, I can appreciate some eye candy without any ulterior motives," Erdene huffed. "I mean, come on, look at that tall glass of water over there! Look at those biceps!"</p><p>Rolling her eyes, Poppy decided to at least grant these attention-grabbing men a quick glance. Only, instead of being quick, her glance lingered and she choked on her coconut water.</p><p>"That's <em>him</em>!" she squeaked as she watched the sopping wet group of men coming up out from the water. Grabbing Erdene's hand, Poppy pulled her behind some greenery.</p><p>"Why are we hiding?!" Erdene hissed. "Seeing the same guy twice is totally a sign! You need to go up and get his number!"</p><p>"No!" she hissed back. "We don't have time for boys right now! And besides we'll be going back to the continental States soon enough and I'm sure he wouldn't be interested in a long distance relationship or anything."</p><p>"Why wouldn't he be?"</p><p>Poppy glared at her bestie. "Erdene. Look at me. Look at him. Why would he bother with someone like me when he probably has hordes of beautiful women fawning all over him all the time."</p><p>"For your information, Tora tends to fend off those hordes with a stick."</p><p>Both girls stared at each other for a moment before looking behind them at the tanned and platinum blond man standing on the sidewalk. </p><p>"Er, hello Quincey," Poppy greeted.</p><p>The tall man offered a blandly polite smile and slurped on his smoothie. "He's definitely a fan of curvy girls and you have those in spares."</p><p>Poppy blushed furiously. "Erdene, this is Tora's brother. And he's full of it. At least, that's what Tora says."</p><p>"Psh," Quincey mumbled around his straw. "Tora says a lot of things. Anyway, I don't mind giving you the scoop on him, but why are you hiding in the bushes?"</p><p>"Exactly," Erdene growled. "We're hiding from those hunks because this girl here is a coward."</p><p>"I'm not a coward! I'm just trying to be...discreet."</p><p>"Ah, okay." The blond looked over the greenery and began waving excitedly. "TORA!!! THAT GIRL FROM EARLIER TODAY IS RIGHT HERE!!! YOU SHOULD COME AND SAY HELLO!!!"</p><p>"I'm standing right here. Ya don't have ta yell."</p><p>Brown eyes looked up and met the same golden ones from earlier. Unfortunately for the blood vessels in Poppy's face, the handsome figure of the man had been transformed from that of a lazy and chill islander into that of a dripping wet and half-naked surfer boy. </p><p>"H-hello."</p><p>"Why are ya hiding?"</p><p>"She's being discreet about spying on you," Quincey supplied between slurps. </p><p>"No, it's not...ugh, whatever. This is mortifying." </p><p>Erdene patted her friend's head with a laugh and stood to her full height. "Thanks for saving Poppy earlier! I'd say that that I was surprised to hear about her endangering her life, but that wouldn't be the truth. Nothing can stop this girl from trying to be the most helpful being on this planet. Not even danger."</p><p>Tora wiped at some of the salty water dripping over his brow before they got into his eyes. "She's a tough girl. I'm sure she'd have been just fine."</p><p>"Well since hiding is no longer an option..." Poppy stood up and brushed herself off. Her knees were smarting from diving down onto the ground so quickly. "Hello again, Tora. Erdene and I were just taking a walk and were in no way stalking you." She offered a polite bow reminiscent of her Japanese father. </p><p>"How are the knees?"</p><p>"They hurt," she replied honestly but with a smile. "It's okay, though. I know they'll heal soon enough. Are you a surfer?"</p><p>Looking down at the surfboard casually held in his grip, Tora shrugged. "Yeah, a bit."</p><p>"He's a professional," Quincey added helpfully and Tora shot him an annoyed look. </p><p>"Wow!" both girls exclaimed with wide eyes.</p><p>"It's not...I'm not that good," the bronzen man muttered as his cheeks darkened a bit. </p><p>"It's an accomplishment just to be qualified as a professional!" Poppy insisted. "Congratulations!"</p><p>Erdene laughed at her friend and shook her head. "You don't congratulate people on going pro, girl!"</p><p>"Uh, o-oh," the brunette stuttered looking quite ashamed of herself. </p><p>"It's fine, really. Ya don't need to get all red and stuff," Tora stated kindly even as his cheeks reddened even more. </p><p>Quincey rose an amused eyebrow. It had been a really long while since he saw his step-brother this flustered. </p><p>"Would you ladies like to have some sushi with us?" he asked before slurping up the last bit of his drink. "My treat."</p><p>"Of course!" Erdene agreed before she risked Poppy rejecting the offer. "That would be so awesome!"</p><p>"Oh, well..."</p><p>Tora stepped up next to her and softly gripped her elbow. "Hey, it'll be fine," he murmured. "I mean, we could get something else if ya don't like sushi."</p><p>"I love sushi," she replied with her head tilted back to properly see him. Salt water clung to his eyelashes and was still soaked through his ebony hair. "Do you?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>She placed a soft hand on his beautifully tattooed forearm. </p><p>"Okay, show us the way!"</p><p>"Let's swing by the apartment so that I can grab a quick shower," he stated before he started down the sidewalk. </p><p>"That'll work," Quincey replied as he fell into step beside Erdene. </p><p>Poppy walked along happily and it wasn't until they came up to a small street vendor selling leis and all kinds of different flowers that she realized she was still holding on to his arm. With a bright blush she released her grip and just watched in amazement as the tall man spoke in fluent Hawaiian with the elderly woman. She placed a beautifully delicate yellow flower tipped in pink in his large hands and waved off his attempts to pay her with money. Tora seemed rather embarrassed by what she was saying but he still had a smile when they stepped away.</p><p>"Is everything okay?" Poppy asked as he stepped away.</p><p>"It's all good," he replied as he tucked the flower behind her left ear. "I hope you're not allergic to flowers."</p><p>"I'm not," she replied before daintily touching at the soft petals. "What kind is this?"</p><p>"It's a plumeria." Quincey chuckled and Tora shot him a dirty glare. "Anyway, let's get outta here. We want the sushi while it's fresh."</p><p>****</p><p>While Poppy had always done her best to approach her work with vigor and gratitude it hadn't always been so easy with this internship. A publishing internship in Hawaii sounded like a dream come true, but with the long hours, the cramped and shared apartments, the barely functional A/C in the office and the dark cubicles of doom it had been harder and harder to keep up the good attitude. </p><p>With a beautiful, if slightly wilted, flower in her hair, Poppy found herself refreshed and eager to get into her overwhelming pile of work. Highlighters were organized in a rainbow at the top of her desk and she was rapidly putting together her to-do lists when a fellow intern giggled beside her. </p><p>"Who's the lucky guy, Pops?"</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she tried to figure out what the girl was talking about.</p><p>"The guy you're dating!" she pressed and Poppy laughed nervously, her mind easily producing an image of Tora, his cheeks chubby with an abundance of rice from the competition they had to see who could stuff the most sushi rolls into their mouths. </p><p>"Er, I'm not...why would you think that?"</p><p>The peppy girl looked a bit confused but kept her smile intact. She gestured to the flower tucked behind Poppy's ear. </p><p>"You're wearing a plumeria on the left. That means you're taken."</p><p>"That means I'm...WHAT?!"</p><p>"Yeah, it's a Hawaiian thing," she laughed. "You might want to move it over to the right if you're still single."</p><p>"O-oh, okay." </p><p>Biting her lip, Poppy allowed her fingers to gently touch at the petals of the flower again. Half of her brain insisted that she move the flower over immediately, but the other half of her brain was supplying her with a steady stream of images from last night. She and Erdene had spent several hours with Tora and Quincey, eating sushi, walking through town, watching the sunset on the beach, and even playing a few rounds of vintage games on Tora's old Nintendo 64. It was true that they weren't dating. She and Tora barely even knew each other! But...it also felt wrong to say that she was single.</p><p>"You okay?" </p><p>Poppy looked up at her college and smiled softly. </p><p>"Well, what if there's this guy that I'm <em>talking </em>to?"</p><p>Giggling, the young woman shook her head. "I think that the flower suits you better when you wear it on the left. For luck."</p><p>Staring down at her colorful planner, Poppy nodded. </p><p>"Yeah, for luck."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed the story! I'm on tumblr @merakiforest if you want to chat or check my stuff out. :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>